HARRISON — Regardless of what the School Administrative District 17 numbers are for the upcoming budget, the Harrison Budget Committee wants to hold the line with its proposed mill rate, which could cause cuts on the municipal side.

Town Manager George “Bud” Finch informed selectmen about the plan at their meeting on Thursday, April 9, according to his manager’s report. The target mill rate is $11.25 per $1,000 of assessed value for fiscal 2016. This is an increase of 30 cents over the current mill rate, which equals to a $30 increase on $100,000 of valuation. Finch wrote the proposed mill rate is a decrease from earlier budget drafts, which would have been around $11.40.

“The Budget Committee believes the municipal numbers speak for themselves and show the continuing trend of holding the line on the budget we have control over while improving productivity and cost avoidance measures,” Finch wrote.

SAD 17 Superintendent Rick Colpitts was supposed to present the school district’s proposed budget at last week’s selectmen’s meeting but had to cancel. Harrison, like the other seven towns in SAD 17, will have to wait until May for budget numbers from the district while administrators wait to receive funding numbers from the state.

Finch wrote the municipal operations portion for the fiscal 2016 budget is lower than fiscal 2012. The proposed municipal portion makes up 27 percent of the budget, coming in at $1,878,163. This is an increase of nearly $19,500 over the current budget. The administration and solid waste portions are collectively down by more than $7,200. Fire and rescue, public works, parks and recreation, insurance, public safety and community services collectively increased by nearly $26,300.

The Cumberland County portion of the budget for fiscal 2016 increased by more than $15,500 over the current year. That represents a 5 percent increase.

“While one is never happy with a tax increase, it needs to be remembered that 83 percent of the tax increase in the five-year budget process has gone to education and county, which we have little, if any control over, while the remaining increase has basically gone to improving our long-ignored roads and capital equipment,” Finch wrote.

The town manager also explained the town’s capital expenditures plan for fiscal 2016, which will be finalized within the next two weeks. These expenditures do not have an impact on the current year’s taxes since the money is drawn from the capital reserve fund and paid back over over a period of years.

“The capital plan is part of the town’s financial policy, which is designed to ultimately meet the full capital needs of the community without spikes up and down in the budget and to keep the town debt free at the same time,” Finch wrote. “This is an ambitious plan, for any community, but I am pleased to report we are with in three fiscal years of attaining our goal.”

Current items on the plan include replacing the 1996 pay loader and 19-year-old trash compactor and purchasing a pick up truck for the fire and parks and recreation departments. This includes the deferred maintenance program, which has a list of projects, including replacing the fire station roof and Town Office septic system, addressing parking lot issues and fencing in the transfer station, as required by the state’s safety audit.

Finch will present an updated budget at the next selectmen’s meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, April 23, at the Town Office, 20 Front St. The Budget Committee will be in attendance.

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